Fading Into Black
by LostPrison
Summary: What happens when Ziva becomes the target of an assassin? Nothing good. TIVA! :D I OWN NOTHING.ONLY THE STORY, NOT THE CHARACTERS.
1. Chapter 1

**Ch.1**

_Thump thump._ That was the sound of Tony Dinozzo's pounding heart, intensifying with every minute that passed by. Every minute that he _let_ pass by.

_Thump thump. _His heart raced a mile a minute. The fear in his eyes becoming more and more evident as he pounded his foot on the gas pedal.

Gibbs and Agent McGee had insisted he wait for their back-up before charging in the old,abandoned building. Gun blazing,not knowing what to expect. He didn't care at that point. All he could think of was the malicious, bastardly terrorist that had already killed two federal officers,and three bystanders along the way. Who, if Tony was too late, had killed Ziva.

Tony raced out of his car, gun in hand, with a back-up one behind his back,covered by his jacket. Ignoring Gibbs' order,he charged in. Unsure of what he was getting himself into, sweat dripped from his face like a waterfall of terror.

"Federal Officer!" he yelled, suddenly feeling the regret in his spoken words. "Nice one, Dinozzo. Alert the psychotic killer that you've come to mercilessly take him into custody. I'm sure he'll just hand over Ziva and handcuff himself while admitting to his endless crimes," he whispered to himself,now going into panic mode.

He searched the building endlessly, to what seemed to have become a maze, when he finally found Ziva. Lying unconscious on the ground. Drenched in blood. Tony stood there, shock and dread flowing through him. If she wasn't already dead, she was sure close to it. "Ziva," was all he could manage to choke out. He began to glide over to her when he suddenly came to a halt, feeling the rear-end of a gun at the back of his head.

"I would not do that if I were you," the voice threatened in his ears. Rendering him to the ground, the terrorist jabbed the butt of the gun into Tony's face. He stood over him, pointing the gun to his chest. "And now you will die, just like the bitch. I do have to say, for a chick she put up a bit more of a fight than you."

"Well I haven't had my coffee jolt this morning," Tony retorted as he smirked while still obviously in pain, "So you'll have to excuse me Mr. Terrorist. I'm not quite in game yet."

Bashing Tony's face in again, he grasped the gun, while plastering a devilish grin on his face. "Too bad you didn't have that coffee smart-ass, you might've stood a chance. But sadly I guess we will never know."

And Tony's world faded to black as he realized the trigger had been pulled.

As he realized a gunshot went off.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch.2**

_Twelve hours earlier..._

"Alright, so we've got a 5'9" medium-build male. Twenty-nine years old, name is Calvin Dimino," McGee began explaining to the group. "Used to be in the marine core. Al-," when suddenly he found his sentence being cut short by Tony, who was suddenly standing next to him in front of the big screen with the terrorist's face plastered to it.

"Used to be? What, did he just-"

"Get booted from the core? Yes," McGee in return cut him off. Glaring at Tony, he continued. "As I was saying, he got demerited by his official when he...started in other things, among losing his temper and destroying marine property continuously and endangered his fellow marines by communicating with foreign enemies. He's an Israeli." McGee noticed Ziva's head perk up at that those last three words.

"What exactly were Dimino and the foreign enemies discussing, McGoo?" Tony asked him warily.

"Well, no one really knows, considering that after he left the core, he disappeared. He's obviously been noticed, now that he's killed a federal officer," McGee replied, disgust showing in his features.

"Well who knows what they could have been discussing...or planning," Ziva added in as she stood up from her desk to join the others in their huddle. Thoughts ran through her mind, not knowing what to think.

Suddenly Gibbs walked in from the elevator, an irritated look on his face. He was practically crushing the foam coffee cup in his hand. "Oh hey boss, we were just discussing-" Tony's sentence was cut off.

"I don't give a damn what you were discussing, Dinozzo. We need to find out more. We need to bring this bastard in!" Tony, Ziva, and McGee just stared at him, unsure of how to respond to that. "Dinozzo, get me a list of every damn foreigner this yahoo communicated with. McGee, find out everything you can about Dimino's whereabouts and what he might be planning. Ziva; follow me."

Tony and McGee both looked at each other, and then to Ziva, who looked equally confused.

"Today, Ziva!" Gibbs shouted, as he was already halfway back in the elevator. Ziva jumped up and ran towards him, just making it in before the doors slammed shut. They rode in silence the whole way up, Ziva lost in her thoughts, when suddenly the doors opened. Ziva was about to ask where they were going, even though she thought she already knew. Her guess was confirmed when they came to a stop. Outside of Director Vance's door. _Great_, she thought to herself, _this should be interesting._

*************************************************************************

Both Tony and McGee sat at their desks in silence. MgGee typing away at his computer and occasionally making a phone call or two, Tony just dazed at Ziva's empty desk.

_I wonder what they're doing up there, what she's doing up there, _Tony thought to himself. _Well whatever it is I'm sure it isn't that bad. I mean, it's only Gibbs..._ his thoughts then trailed off, as he honestly didn't know what to expect for Ziva. He didn't like that feeling.

_************************************************************************_

Vance held the door open for Gibbs and Ziva, motioning them to sit down. It was obvious he'd been expecting them. "So...," he began. "Miss David, it has come to my attention that this terrorist,if you will, is in fact an Israeli such as yourself." Ziva just nodded. "And you're sure that you do not this man." It sounded more like a statement than a question. She simply nodded again, unsure of where he was going with this. "Well that's interesting, considering I just received a call from a pay phone. He has seven hostages inside a yet-to-be located building, call was to short to make out." Ziva gulped. "And he wouldn't say anything, excluding the one thing he did say. The one name he did say; 'Ziva David' ."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! (And girls) I just wanted to thank all of you that took the time out to review and really make my day a happy one! Now remember, this is my first fic., so if any of this needs cleared up or anything else, just let me know and i'll tweak it. :) So this chapter is a bit longer than the others, but as the story progresses it gets better. So, enough of my babbling, here's chapter three! :D**

**  
Ch.3**

Ziva's eyes widened as she merely stared at Director Vance, at a loss of words. What exactly was she supposed to say to something like that?_ He what? He knows my name?? How does he know my name?! Why would he even say my name? What has this got to do with me?!_ She glared at Gibbs expecting an answer to her silent, pleading questions, but all she could get out of him was a glare in return. This one seemed different unlike the other 'Gibbs glares' she was used to though...he almost stared at her with sympathy, almost...apologetically.

"Miss David?" Vance questioned her, with an annoyed look on his face. Not only because she wasn't saying anything, that no kind of reaction showed on her features, but because he wanted to get down to the bottom of this. _Now._

She looked up at him, a sadness in her eyes even as her blood boiled in anger. "Yes?" she manged to choke out.

Now Vance looked more than annoyed. "_Yes?_ 'Yes' is all you have to say to this? David, this is more serious than it sounds. He said your name. Why did he do that Ziva? Dammit, what aren't you telling me? What the hell is going on here?" he voice suddenly arose, which Ziva didn't appreciate. She had no clue what was going on and it scared the hell out of her, but she was in no mood to be yelled at for something she couldn't control.

"I do not know!" Ziva shrieked, suddenly standing up from her chair.

_Control._ That's what this was about. Yes, she was more than freaked out at the fact that this terrorist knew her name and was somehow linked to her when she had absolutely no clue who he was, but there was more to it than that. In that moment, her control was gone. Her control over her job, over her emotions, over herself. She always had control. And in this moment, she lost all that power.

Vance just stared at her, overwhelmed by her outburst. Unsure of what to make of it. Gibbs was silent the whole time, deciding to finally speak. Gently placing his hand on her shoulder, he spoke to Ziva at last. "Look Ziva," there actually seemed to be a kindness in his voice, a sincerity, that rarely ever came out of Gibbs, "We don't know what's going on, and it's okay that you don't either, but you have to get a hold of yourself. That bastard has innocent people as hostages doing God-knows what, and we're running out time. He obviously has some sort of connection to you, whether you know what that connection is or not."

Ziva looked up at him as her eyes began to swell up, something that she rarely ever let show, especially at her job. "I know, I know boss. I just do not know what to think of this. I do not know how I am possibly involved...." her voice suddenly trailed off, Gibbs sensed she was about to crack. He gently gave her a reassuring pat on the back, and walked over to Vance. The calm in his features and voice suddenly melted away.

"Look, she's obviously connected with this, and at some point is going to be a key role in us bringing this bastard in, but in the mean time let's just let her soak this in, give her some time." Gibbs knew what Vance was about to say, and he knew he was right. _There was no time. Time wasn't exactly on their side._

Shocking Gibbs, Vance nodded in agreement. "She can stay in here with me and we'll wait by the phones to see if-_ he-_ calls," Gibbs sensed the disgust in his tone, "and you go to Miss Sciuto and find out if she's traced the call yet." Gibbs nodded, and with one final turn to Ziva, walked out the door.

********************************************************************

Gibbs strolled in Abby's lab, hearing the usual metal music she listened to, but there was something different this time. She wasn't dancing to it. She wasn't being the carefree and chipper Abby that he knew and loved. Instead, he found her pacing back and forth, muttering to herself. Not seeming to even notice Gibbs walk in.

"Abbs?" Gibbs asked cautiously. When he saw that she didn't look up, didn't even seem to notice his presence, he spoke in an even louder tone now. "Abbs!"

"Huh? Oh, Gibbs!" she ran over and gave him a quick _Abby-hug._ "Sorry, I uh, I didn't notice you came down. I've just been busy thinking about...well, you know," Abby looked up as she said the words. She didn't have to finish her sentence, for he already knew what she was talking about. Or rather, who she was talking about.

"Yeah Abbs, I know," he reassured her. "So did you find a trace yet?"

Abby just looked down at her Gothic, knee-high boots. "No, not yet. But you have to understand Gibbs, this terrorist is one heck of a smart one. He kept the call short for a reason. And when trying to trace a call that short, well it's next to impossible and-" she was starting to ramble.

"Abby. Abby, it's alright. I have the utmost confidence in you. Just keep doing what you're doing." Abby nodded, and gave him a half-smile. "I'm gonna go back up to Ziva. Call me with _anything_ you find," he said as walked out of the lab.

"Okay, and next time bring me a Caf-pow!" she manged to sputter out before he was gone. If she was gonna be working at this all night, which she had a feeling she was, he had better bring her a sugar-rush to keep her from toppling over.

********************************************************************

Ziva manged to keep her cool as she walked awkwardly to the the restroom. She had asked Vance if she could slip out for just a minute, claiming she really had to go. But she didn't. She just needed a moment to herself, a moment to collect her thoughts, or at least attempt to. Once she was inside the restroom, she checked to make sure no one else was in the stalls and then locked the door, letting go of her emotions. She stared at herself in the mirror, not believing she was actually crying. Not keeping on the strong facade that she had always manged to do before. When suddenly her cell phone rang. She took a moment to gather herself, and then dryly answered the call. "Hello?"

"Ah, Miss David. So we finally speak. What's the matter, you seem to be on the downside, yes?" the voice on the other end let out a small, wicked chuckle. She knew who this was, not a doubt in her mind, though she wished she didn't.

_It was Calvin Dimino, the terrorist who supposedly knew her. Who undoubtedly wanted something out of her. And he was about to collect._


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! :P**

**So here's chapter four. In this chappie we learn more about what's going on....and of course, we hear Ziva's little chat with Calvin Dimino. Haha well i guess we don't hear it, more like read it....anyway before I confuse myself I just wanted to once again thank everyone that reviewed! I love coming to my computer to find that this story maybe itsn't half bad. :) So if anything gets confusing, just let me know and i'll change it. Enjoy! :D**

**Ch.4**

On his way from Abby's lab, Gibbs strode into the office. Tony and McGee already knew he expected them to have more than what they had before, and luckily they did.

"Boss! Hey,just the right time. We got somethin'. Did I ever tell you how you have the ability to just show up at the best times, cos you do. I mean, I know it, Abby knows it, Ducky, even McGee over here kn-" Tony babbled on, when Gibbs interrupted him with a head-slap.

"Tony, stop the ass-kissing and tell me what you have."

That's when McGee interjected, much to Tony's relief. "Well, we have good news and bad news,"_ Oh joy,_ Gibbs thought, "We ran a list of every foreigner or other terrorist that Dimino communicated with, and most of them are either locked up or dead. Except one. So we think we did find who's behind this, which is the good news..." At that note, Gibbs walked over to McGee's desk along with Tony to look at the computer screen.

Then Gibbs began reading off what was on the screen in front of him. "Mikhail Xavier. Wanted in over three countries....has killed seven federal officers....," Gibbs mumbled as he read the rest to himself, as if the rest were irrelevant compared to the one word he did read aloud. "Israeli." Gibbs just looked down, anger boiling inside of him, of course he was Israeli. Tony and McGee could sense his frustration, and Tony didn't want to say anything in that moment, for he felt exactly what Gibbs was feeling. He cared for Ziva more than he admitted to, hell, more than he admitted to himself, and he understood the need for silence. But there was more that they learned. More that was vital for him to let Gibbs know.

"Boss, he's also, he's a, a,.." Tony struggled with the right words. Gibbs looked up in unison with McGee, but McGee already knew what he was going to say. He dropped his head back down, while Gibbs still remained staring at him, not sure if he wanted to hear what Tony struggled so much to say. "He's also an assassin. A high-profile one at that...But he's different than any other assassin. He finds...a target...then hires someone else to do the dirty work."

Gibbs remained staring at him, his frustration and anger really taking into affect now. He knew what this entailed. So did Tony. So did McGee. The room remained silent, when finally Gibbs spoke softly. "He hired Dimino to take out his target...He hired him to take out Ziva."

********************************************************************

Ziva stood silent in shock. The terrorist had actually called her. _How had he known her number? Why was he even calling her? It was time to get to the bottom of this, once and for all._

"Oh come on now, Miss David, or should I say Ziva? Must we really make this an awkward silence? We both know you're going to die, yes. But we might as well make the best out of the small amount of time you have left. Let's make this call a.... fun one, yes?" The voice on the other end just smirked and added a light, yet devilish laugh.

"Go to hell." Ziva pronounced the words firmly, standing her ground. Even if she was nervous and unsure of what was going on, she never showed a moment a weakness. She didn't want to give him the pleasure of that. Or any man for that matter.

"Alright, I guess there's no room for pleasantries, yes? Well then, I guess we'll skip right to it. I have to give you some credit Miss David, you waste no time. Get straight to the point. Maybe I will try to kill you a bit sooner than I intended, saving you a bit of pain." Ziva was about to interrupt and say something on the lines of '_If you live long to try. Do not underestimate me you cowardly bastard, and believe me when I say I will take pleasure in ripping off your limbs one by one,' _but he continued to talk, letting go of her chance. His voice got edgier, and his tone got stronger and firmer.

"Now listen to me you little bitch, you make even an ounce of sound, or try anything, I will cut these people's throats and watch with amusement as they bleed. It will be all your fault, and then I will come for you, understand?"

"How do you know you will be able to do that. We are tracing your call from earlier. We almost have a match. And we will find you." Ziva tried to speak in utmost confidence, yet she failed. And Dimino could sense that.

"That may be so, Miss David. But then all these people will die, and it will be your fault. Now, let us try this again."

********************************************************************

The office was silent for a moment again. McGee still sitting at his computer, Gibbs and Tony still standing right beside it. Suddenly Gibbs' cell phone vibrated in his pocket, and he hesitantly reached and answered it. "Yeah, Gibbs," His voice sounding agitated.

"Gibbs? It's Abby," her voice sounded disappointed and faded, and Gibbs didn't like that. "I'm sorry, but that call was just too short. If it literally had five more seconds, I, I could've...," her sentence trailed off. Then Gibbs shook his head, trying to hide the aggrivation in his voice. It wasn't Abby's fault, and he knew that. He just didn't know what else to do.

"I know Abbs, it's okay." He let out a sigh of frustration, and was about to hang up when Abby kept talking.

"No. No, it's not okay Gibbs! None of this is okay! If we can't find a trace, then we have no way of saving those innocent people. No way of doing anything until that Domnenoe or whatever the heck his name is guy calls again. We're like play dough in his hands Gibbs, and that sucks. I'd much rather be the hands than the dough, but I'm not. You're not...we're not!" She let out a sigh, and stopped rambling so she could breathe again.

"Look Abbs, it isn't fair. But we'll work it out, okay?" Abby was about to reply when Gibbs hung up.

"I hope you're right," she said to the dial tone. She was holding her hippo, Burt, close to her, and hoping Gibbs would come through.

******************************************************************************

Her phone began to shake, as Ziva's trembling hands couldn't help but deceive her.

Then Dimino began to speak. "Now, I am going to give you an address to write down. You will do so without question, and our conversation will end. You will make sure you look presentable enough to exit the building without a fuss. Do not talk to anyone. Do not bring any weapons of any sort, I will be sure to frisk you when you arrive, so it is pointless to even attempt. If you are followed, whether that is your fault or not, all of these people will die, and their blood will be on your hands. Do I make myself clear?"

She closed her eyes, and absorbed all of that in. She knew what she was doing was senseless, something that the strong and almighty Ziva David was not known for, but she knew she had to do it. She knew she couldn't tell her boss where she was going or what she was doing no matter how desperately she wanted to. She knew she couldn't tell her partner, who would have her back without a doubt._ Tony...i hope he can forgive me for this. I hope...that I will make it out of this to tell him how I really feel..." _she thought to herself. _Not that I am sure what the hell I am feeling right now...._ A small smile creased upon the edges of her mouth, thinking of Tony.

After a few moments to herself, she answered him. "Yes, as clear as the dirt." _**That was obviously an American idiom she hadn't quite yet mastered....**_

He raised his eyebrows, unsure of what she meant. He then sighed and read off the address. When he was finished he whispered something to the phone, loud enough for her to hear. "Oh, and Miss David....my boss is very excited to see you."

Then the line went dead.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ello everyone! :D Sorry it took me a little bit longer to put today's chapter up, but it is longer than the others. And thank you again to everyone who reviewed! Rewiews are my motivation to keep going, so keep it up! So after a few chapters of waiting, we finally get to see Ziva's confrontation with Dimino, and of course his boss...hehe. And I know I promised this to be a Tiva story, and that storyline's been running a little slow, but I still hold that promise. And in this chapter is where the Tiva moments really start to kick in. :) If there's anything I need to clear up, just let me know. But please remember to be constructive about it. So anyway, enjoy! **

**Ch.5**

Ziva simply stared at her phone, unable to form words. Hell, unable to form thoughts. She hadn't known what he meant by "his boss." She hadn't known what was in store for her. She hadn't known the condition of the seven hostages...the seven people....were in. That was her motivation. Her reasoning beyond disbelief and self-doubt. She didn't want to do this. She wanted to head straight to Gibbs and her teammates and tell them what all the bastard said to her. She knew she couldn't. But she wanted to.

She slipped the phone into her pocket and started to head out when she stopped herself. She turned and glanced at the mirror on the wall, showing a side of herself she didn't want to see. The bags under her eyes could stretch a mile. Her rattled hair flowed down her sides, but not with the usual glimmer it always possessed.

Ziva wasn't sure what to expect, but she wasn't going to back down either. She was used to this kind of thing. Not exactly this situation, but she was from Mossad. She learned to defend herself, to fight. To never back down and always be aware. She wasn't going to change who she was just because she was in a moment of weakness. So she gave a quick smile, and turned and headed to exit the restroom. She wasn't stupid. She knew this might not turn out how she wanted it to, but for once in this whole mess she felt like she could do it. She felt confident. She felt_ in control. _So she opened the door, and made her way out. Her grin never left her face.

**************************************************************************

"Come on McGeek, tell me."

"Tony, leave me alone. Unlike you, I'm actually trying to do _work."_

"Look, I just wanna know. What did you mean by it?.... I mean, the only reason you won't tell me is 'cos it's true." McGee just rolled his eyes and continued typing away at his computer. Trying to block out Tony's voice._ Trying._

Tony gasped. "Oh my God, it is true! You are totally into Ziva!" He tried to hide the jealousy in his voice, not that he was jealous, of course...or at least, that's what he told himself.

"Tony, I am not 'into' Ziva. All I said was that I hope we can find a way to help her and that she doesn't deserve to go through this, and you blew it out of proportion."

"I did not."

"You did too. I mean, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that-"

"Say what McGee?" Tony and McGee both shot their heads up when they heard Ziva's voice. She was now gliding into the workroom. Neither agent had seen her walk in. How did she always do that?

"Um...I uh, I, I....." McGee stuttered out. Much to his relief, Tony began to speak. Both men were at a loss of words, worrying over what she might have heard.

"Nothing. So uh, how's everything going with you? I mean...um, are you doing okay?" Tony wasn't quite sure what to say, he'd never been in this kind of situation before. He'd been in many others; Almost dying from a plague, being framed for murder, being reassigned Agent afloat...but nothing like this. He wasn't even sure what was going on, much less what was the right thing to say to her.

She looked up at him, but forced herself to not look in his eyes. She knew she had to lie to him, and couldn't bear it, but she just couldn't look him in the eye. "Yes, thank you, Tony. I am...dealing."

Both Tony and McGee stared at her, knowing she was lying. "Ziva, if you aren't, dealing, then it's okay. You know you can always talk to me if you need t-" Tony whispered quietly, but was suddenly cut off.

"Thank you, Tony. Again. As I said, I am fine." The sentence didn't quite meet her eyes.

"Well, you said you were dealing." McGee cut in.

Ziva glanced at McGee, a small but noticeable smile creasing her lips. She then turned to Tony, who was still staring at her. His eyes were filled with sincerity, kindness, and...love. Before anyone could say anything further, Ziva broke her gaze with Tony, turning and heading for the elevator. Tony looked at McGee with confusion, who just shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to the computer. Tony couldn't do that, he couldn't just dismiss it. _Dismiss her._ So he quickly followed her to the elevator. The doors were closing shut as Ziva had _his_ words running through her mind.

"_**You will make sure you look presentable enough to exit the building without a fuss. Do not talk to anyone....If you are followed, whether that is your fault or not, all of these people will die, and their blood will be on your hands..."**_

Ziva was so entranced in her thoughts that she hadn't realized the elevator wasn't moving. She looked up and saw Tony standing in the middle of the doorway, blocking it off from closing. A confused, and if she wasn't mistaken, _worried_, look written all over his face.

"What do you want Tony?" She asked impatiently, but making her tone calm and subtle.

"I'm worried about you Ziva...where are you going?"

She had to think of an answer quickly. She couldn't risk those people's lives...she couldn't risk Tony's life. "I am going home. It is getting late, and I am tired. I do not see any need for me to be here for the rest of the night."

"Okay...well at least let me drive you home. You shouldn't have to go by yourself."

Ziva gave a little snort, even though she loved the way Tony seemed to care for her. "Tony, I appreciate the concern, but I am a big girl. I can handle myself. If you have not learned that by now, you obviously need reminding." There was a hint of humor in her voice, but Tony could tell something wasn't right.

"I know you can take care of yourself, Ziva. Please, no reminders needed. I just thought I could-"

"Tony I am fine." She let out a small sigh then gently pushed him out of the doorway. Not hard, but enough to get her point across. "I do want to get going, though. I guess I will be seeing you around." She let out a sad smile, then the doors closed in Tony's face. He knew something was wrong. Something had to be wrong.

He gently grabbed the phone from his pockets and pressed Speed Dial 1. He waited for a few seconds, when another voice reached the other end of the phone. "Yeah, Gibbs? It's Ziva...I think you need to get over here. Now."

********************************************************************

Ziva pulled her car up to the ragged, abandoned building in front of her. She glanced down at the piece of paper that lie across the passenger's seat next to her to confirm the address. Yes, it was the correct one. Damn...

She stepped out of the car, placing one gun behind her back and a smaller one in her boot, covered by her pants-leg. Yes, the terrorist had specifically instructed her to bring _no weapons._ She was Ziva David, what did he really expect, anyway?

She slowly approached the inside of the building, scrunching her face when the horrid smell of the place glided through her nostrils. The building wasn't huge, but wasn't small either. A very easy place to get lost in for someone who didn't know their way around. Webs stretched across the walls and ceiling, while dirt riddled the floor. There were small cracks in a few places, where larger cracks seemed to be present.

She turned down a hallway to her right, and stopped when she saw the large dining room area. There were all the seven hostages, each with their mouths gagged and whimpering senseless. Her eyes widened, and she made her way towards them. "It is going to be alright, I am going to get you out of here."

She came to a halt again, but this time it was because she felt another presence behind her. She didn't even need to turn around to know who it was, and what he was doing. It was Calvin Dimino, holding a gun out to the back of Ziva's head.

"Hey sweetheart. Was almost starting to doubt if you'd show."

"Then you obviously do not know the first thing about me." Before he could react, Ziva turned around and swung her leg in the air, kicking him in the face and knocking him down. The gun he was holding flew to the other side of the room and she kicked him again. She then yelled to the hostages sitting and crying in the corner. "Run! Now!" They all stood up as quickly as possible, and ran towards the exit, making it outside. Ziva grabbed the gun from behind her back and held it to Dimino, who whimpered on the floor, holding his leg. "Sorry_ sweetheart,_ where were we?" She smirked.

Just suddenly she felt someone hovering over her. She turned around and before she knew it was hit in the face, and fell to the ground. A large body hovered over her, and hit her again until she was unconscious. "I believe we were right about there. It is nice to finally meet you Miss David."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone!! Okay, sorry this chapter is a bit late. But i also believe it's longer, and there are definitely some revelations and surprises. Hehe...**

**So it starts off with one of Ziva's dreams. If it's confusing at all, just let me know. I mirrored the last part of their dialogue with the season six episode, _Cloak._ So anyway enjoy, and keep up the reviews! They're fabulous! :D**

**Ch.6**

_**Ziva had been sitting at her desk, bored out of her mind. Not knowing what to do with herself. Thinking of Tony. She had been far too invested in her day-dreaming to notice that Tony had made his way towards her, propping himself up on the edge of her desk.**_

"_**Tony? What are you-" He placed his hand on her cheek, stroking it gently. Forcing her to catch the breath in her throat.**_

"_**Ziva, I've been wanting to do this for a while now. I just haven't had the right time...well, there's never really a right time. So I just decided that this moment would do best...well it'll do anyway."**_

"_**Tony, what-" He stopped her from continuing as he placed his finger gently on her lips.**_

"_**Shh Ziva. It's okay. I'm just, I'm tired of pretending."**_

_**He then removed his finger and gave her a small, but passionate kiss. She pulled away from him as she rested her forehead against his. "So am I."**_

_***************************************************************************_

Ziva suddenly awoke from her dream....tied to a chair....with a pounding headache._ Fabulous..._

"Hey, look at that, she's finally coming to. I'd almost thought she would be out for the rest of the night." She heard another voice bellow out a laugh, and then it all became clear to her. She looked up to see Calvin Dimino sitting backwards in a dusty, wooden chair...and another male body sitting even closer to her. A male body that almost seemed _familiar. _Dimino seemed agitated, even on edge, while the other one seemed more relaxed, _amused_ even. She hung her head back down. That's when she let it all sink in. Dimino's words now echoed through her, sending uncontrollable shivers down her spine.

"**Oh, and Miss David...my boss is very excited to see you."**

The mysterious figure next to her, with short gray hairs that vacantly ran over the top of his head, dark brown eyes that could be mistaken for black, black clothes that were made to put people off even though they looked like the cheap kind of suits that you would find at a local kid's store, and a smirk on his face that clearly showed he was just as filthy and horrid on the inside as he was on the outside, finally came to be a little less mysterious in Ziva's mind. That was when she realized that he wasn't just familiar to her; she knew him.

"So...," Dimino began to speak this time, "what were you dreaming about little girl? About how all your pansy-ass agent friends will come looking for you and save the day? Ooh, I don't think so, bitch. You won't get so lucky this time."

Ziva heard a small grunt from Dimino, realizing he'd been gutted in the ribs by an elbow. She had to smirk at that.

"Calvin, please. This is no time for joking. She made be a tad on the little side, but she's no defenseless damsel. At least not until now anyway...," he chuckled slightly, "but she still has some advantages. I remember the last time I came across her path...she was almost as tough as her father. Really knows how to dodge a bullet. Why did you think I want her dead so badly?" Ziva raised her head at that.

"Oh forgive me Miss David. My manners are a bit on the fray today. You may have briefly seen me, but I am sure with the circumstances we were under you do not recognize me. It was quite a while ago... I am Mikhail-" Before he could finish Ziva finally spoke up.

"-Xavier. Mikhail Xavier. Yes, I am familiar with who you are. After all, you did try and kill my father."

**********************************************************************

Tony and McGee sat in the squad room, waiting impatiently for Gibbs to arrive.

"Tony, maybe we're overreacting. I mean, she really could've just gone home to get some rest. It's not out of the ordinary."

Tony shook his head while not turning to look at McGee, but steadily keeping his focus on the elevator doors. "Hey McBrilliant, nothing about Ziva is ordinary...or any of us for that matter. Do you really think with the way she's been acting she would just go home? Not buying it."

They both sat in silence for the remaining few minutes before Gibbs finally strode in. Tony practically jumped out of his chair and quickly made his way to his boss. "Hey boss, thanks for coming. I'm just worried about Ziva, she's been acting different with all that's been going on....'course I can't blame her, I just don't buy the whole 'I'm-going-home-to-get-sleep' story...." Gibbs nodded in agreement not only to let him know he was thinking the same thing, but to get him to shut up for a minute.

"I know, I don't either. That's why we're gonna trace her cell phone."

**********************************************************************

**Flashback: Ten Years Prior;**

_Eli David, Director of Mossad, sat in his office across from his daughter, arguing with her. From the recent events that had occurred not long ago, that's most all of what they did with each other. Argue._

"_Father, all I am saying is that you have not even talked about it....about her. If you are not going to do a damn thing to find out who did this to Tali, you can at least try to acknowledge her. She was your daughter, if you have forgotten."_

"_Ziva, you are out of line! Of course I have not forgotten...but the past is the past now. There is nothing we can do to change the outcome. Now, I have work to do, so if you will see yourself out..."_

_Ziva's jaw tightened, and she balled her fists as she rose up from the chair she was seated in across from her father and made her way towards the door. She couldn't believe the way he was acting. What he'd become after her little sister's death. She slowly reached for the door handle when she heard a crashing sound, and her father's yelp. She quickly turned around and saw the window behind her father's desk completely smashed, and her father lying on the ground, ducking. She in retaliation ducked down and drew out her gun from her belt. Some of her father's bodyguards swarmed in, covering him up with protection as the others ran outside intent on finding and catching the shooter._

_**Half an hour**__ after the unexpected intrusion of bullets, Eli sat in a vacant, comfortable room with Ziva right beside him. Ziva had attempted many times to speak and break the uncomfortable silence, but nothing came out of her mouth. After what seemed like centuries passed, one of her father's bodyguards made his way in the secluded room._

"_Director, we have identified the attacker as Mikhail Xavier. We will now bring him into interrogation if you'd like." Eli only nodded his head, and with that motion the bodyguard was out of sight. Ziva turned towards her father._

"_Father? Do you know who that is?"_

"_..."_

"_Father?" She pressed a little louder. He still stared blankly at nothing a few feet ahead._

"_..."_

"_Father!" At her rise in volume he snapped out of his trance and turned towards his daughter._

"_Yes Ziva, I know who he is..." Ziva stared at him, waiting for him to continue. He knew he couldn't get away with saying nothing, so he gave her the shortest reply he could give._

"_We used to work together...we were, partners...that is, before I became Director of Mossad. We lost contact...never heard of him again...until now." Ziva was about to open her mouth when Eli began to speak again._

"_If you will excuse me, Ziva, I have things to do." With those last words, he slipped out of the room, leaving Ziva merely staring in disbelief. She knew there was more he wasn't letting her in on, she just knew._

_****************************************************************************_

Tony paced around the room waiting for McGee to finish the trace of Ziva's cell phone while Gibbs just sat at his desk, drinking his coffee. Tony couldn't stand the silence anymore and turned to face McGee, who was typing away at his computer.

"Hey, McSlow, how long can it take to do a simple cell phone trace? I mean I could've been done it by now." McGee looked up to face him, who glared at him in return.

"Tony, it's only been a few minutes, and I doubt you'd do any better than me...," he turned toward the computer when a small sound was heard from it, then turned back to Tony with a satisfied expression, "And see, I'm already done."

With that notion both Gibbs and Tony made their way to McGee's desk and read the words off the computer screen. McGee was the first to speak.

"Okay, so that's definitely not her house address." Tony rolled his eyes.

"I'd say not, McState-the-Obvious." Gibbs gave them both a head-slap and began walking over to the elevator.

"I'll go to Director Vance and tell him we need back-up. You two stay here and _don't_ do anything until I come back down. Clear?" Tony and McGee nodded quickly, and watched as Gibbs disappeared out of the room. Tony headed towards his desk and grabbed his gear.

"Tony, what're you doing? You heard the boss, we wait for him."

"Look McGeek, I'm not just gonna wait for him and his stupid back-up. The more time wasted, the more chances of Ziva getting hurt grows higher. I can't let anything happen to her Probie, I just, can't..." His sad voice trailed off, and then looked up to see McGee's bewildered face.

"I get it Tony, but I still think you should wait for the back-up."

Tony chuckled lightly as he turned for the elevator. "Yeah, I probably should. But I'm a Dinozzo, and Dinozzo's aren't exactly known for their patience." He glided to the elevator, having the address that he read off McGee's computer screen sketched in his mind. He was determined to get Ziva back, he _had_ to.

*************************************************************************

Ziva slumped in her chair as her epiphany of who the mystery man was sent shivers throughout her whole body. Maybe this was better...maybe she could finally get the answers she'd been held back from by her father so many years ago. Dimino and Mikhail had been talking amongst themselves in low, husky voices when suddenly Ziva spoke up.

"So I assume you escaped prison? Last time I encountered you, my father locked you away."

Mikhail gave her a small, devilish grin, and turned towards her, ending the conversation with Dimino. The one he was about to have seemed much more interesting.

"Yes, Miss David. It was not that hard to do...I actually expected more of a challenge."

"Why did you attempt to kill my father? What do you want with me?" There, she said it. Now she just waited for him to answer.

He sighed. "Ah...well,...Ziva, this has more to do with your father than anything. You're more of...an added bonus." With that, he and Dimino both chuckled. She realized that this was in fact all about her father, and she was just the gambling chip....the gambling chip that would be tossed and thrown out when it was of no longer use. So she tried her best to stall it out, hoping that the team would help get her out of this....that Tony would help get her out of this.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews, I really appreciate them! Sorry it took me a little longer to add this chapter, but i'm starting to figure some things out about the story now, and great pieces take time. :)**

**So this chapter is shorter than they have been. I had to make it this length, so I hope I will be forgiven haha. But these are the events that lead up to the very first chapter if you all still remeber that, and emphasis needs to be put on this particular part. So, enjoy! And keep up the great reviews! :D**

**Ch.7**

Ziva had spent the last hour listening to Mikhail explain to her why he hated her father so much;

"We were partners. In it together. That slime is then offered the role of Director of Mossad and he eagerly jumps into the big black chair, dismissing the one who had his back for years before." About what this had to do with her;

"Well sweetie, thank daddy for this. It is nothing personal of course, but you should know as well as I do that he has to pay...and here I find that the geezer popped one out, and I just can't help myself. Well, popped more than one out...he failed at that as he has with many other things, but that's irrelevant...This is the way. Kill you, and show him that he made a...mistake. Maybe next time he will learn."

Ziva wondered why he was telling her all this, but then again whatever would stall out time she was up for. Maybe if he rambled on long enough Tony and the team would find her...they would find a way, she was sure of it.....

*****************************************************************************

Gibbs made his way down the long steps in the squad room, with Vance and a few back-up agents shortly behind. Gibbs made his way to McGee, who had a nervous look on his face. He slowly turned his head to find Tony's desk...empty. Along with his work gear.

Gibbs let out a sigh. "Dammit, Dinozzo..." He turned to Vance and stared at him. To McGee it seemed like they were somehow having an unspoken conversation...after only seconds passed by, Gibbs grabbed his gear then made his way to the elevator, followed by other agents. Vance made his way back up the stairwell. Without looking back, Gibbs sensed that McGee was still sitting at his desk and yelled,

"McGee! Grab your gear and get your ass in this elevator!" McGee quickly grabbed his things, and ran to the elevator.

******************************************************************************

Tony's heart raced as he heard his cell phone screaming loudly in his pocket. He knew it would be his boss...he knew Gibbs would be pissed...and, he knew he couldn't answer his phone. He had to help Ziva...he wasn't even sure if she was in trouble. For all he knew, she could be just fine, kicking ass as usual.....She could be, yet something told Tony that she wasn't. His heart only pounded faster as he slammed his foot on the gas, accelerating his speed.

******************************************************************************

"Well Miss David, it has been..._nice_ chatting with you, but we should really move this along, yes?" Mikhail had stopped his speech about Ziva's father and how much he truly despised him. About how much he was "stabbed in the back and left for the bears."...wolves may have been what he said, but come one, had he really expected Ziva to pay that much attention after an hour of the same talk? Plus her body's desire to pass out didn't help things either....

"Wait," she looked up to him, trying her best to drag the conversation out...and how much time she had _left,_ "I...why are you not attempting to murder him again? Why go through all the trouble to take me out when you can simply go straight to him? I am just curious, of course..." She didn't really like the idea of mentioning to him to just go straight to her father. He could really be a bastard at times, but he was still her father.

He let out a light chuckle while Dimino just grinned widely in the background. "As much as I would enjoy that, it would still not have the same impact. You are his daughter. More important to him than himself." Now it was her turn to laugh.

"Ha. Well, you obviously did not do enough research, I am afraid. We are not the happy, conventional family. We have more issues than you could possibly imagine, so I highly doubt my death will have too much affect on him." Despite knowing that her death would affect her father, she still tried to keep the conversation going.

Mikhail sighed. "Nevertheless, it would benefit me in the end, Miss David. You are a great foe of mine, as is your father. And I know that on some level this would hurt him, so...think of it as two birds with one stone."

She scoffed in confusion. "Birds? Stone? What does that have to do with anything? Ugh, I will never quite understand the American language."

"I am not American, it's just common sense to know-" then Dimino cut him off.

"This is pointless! Boss, can we just get rid of her now? There's no need for her, and we should get this out of the way before those damn agent friends of hers come."

Mikhail nodded and turned back to Ziva. "Yes, of course. Well Miss David, I am sorry to say this, but your time is up. Time to hand in your ticket." He smirked widely, and began to untie Ziva from the chair she was tied to. Before she could try anything, he shoved her back against a wall and stood just inches from her. Drawing out a gun, his smile got wider and he held it to Ziva's head.

"Goodbye, _Ziva._ Tell Tali I said hello."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone! Sorry it took me a bit longer to upload, but I'm back now! Haha...**

**So once again this chapter is a bit shorter, but this is when everything happens...Well, not everything obviously, but a lot of it. :) So enjoy! Plz plz plz keep up the great reviews! I thank each one of you that takes the time out to review, and you know who you are. You really help keep me going. :P**

**Ch.8**

Mikhail let out a small chuckle, with Dimino on guard by the door. Ziva stood there motionless, waiting for a moment. She just needed that one small instant where Mikhail wasn't paying attention...or at least, not enough attention. He drew the gun up higher, resting his finger on the trigger. Suddenly Dimino's voice boomed out by the doorway where he was standing.

"Dammit! Boss, there's a car pulling up. It looks like a fed." Mikhail turned to face him for just a second, which was plenty enough for Ziva. He turned back around to have his gun knocked out of his hand by Ziva's leg, then punched in the face with her fist. He fell to the ground holding his right eye, where blood started to form.

"You little bitch! You're dead!" He shrieked. She kicked him in his stomach, forcing a whimper of pain out of him.

"What is the matter? Not so tough now are you?" She smiled to herself, then glanced around for the gun that flew out of Mikhail's hand. In an instant, she felt herself falling the ground with a large pain on the back of her hand.

"Where's your little one-liner now, bitch?" Dimino stood over her, gun in hand. Ziva just moaned and attempted to stand up, but was kicked in the stomach by Dimino. He hit her until blood spewed from all over. It was an awful sight, though not as bad as it seemed. Ziva was a capable woman, and resisted falling unconscious during the first few hits...but soon she let the darkness overcome her. Dimino smirked.

"Yes, that's what I thought tramp." He made his way over to his boss, who started standing up while still having his hand attached over his eye.

"Damn, the bitch got a good shot." Dimino came closer to Mikhail, and raised the gun to his head.

"Not as good of a shot as I'm going to get." Mikhail's eyes widened, and stared at Dimino in disbelief.

"What the hell are you doing? The agent is going to be here any minute." Dimino laughed, and pulled the trigger. The bullet landed in the center of Mikhail's forehead, sending him to fall backwards on the ground.

"Sorry boss, just business. You were in my way, and now you're not." With that, Dimino turned and headed back the entranceway. He hid himself in a corner, waiting for Tony to walk in. He heard muffled yells and sounds, which meant the senior field agent was close. Tony came to see Mikail lying dead on the floor, in a puddle of his own blood. He then turned to set his eyes on Ziva, lying unconscious, also in her own blood. Not nearly as bad as Mikhail, but not something his eyes liked to see. Tony began heading towards Ziva, and that's when Dimino jumped out. He held the gun to the back of Tony's head, stopping him in his tracks.

"_I would not do that if I were you._"

*************************************************************************

McGee and the other agents clutched the door handles as Gibbs accelerated his speed. He wasn't exactly known for his slow driving. McGee swallowed hard as they quickly round another corner.

"Uh, boss? Maybe you could...I don't know, slow down a little bit?" The car jerked again, and Gibbs let out a small smile.

"What are the coordinates, McGee?" McGee looked down at what his boss so cleverly called "_that doohickey thing_," and read off the coordinates in his head.

"We're almost there, just make a turn on the right and go straight for about 1.2 kilometers." Gibbs nodded his head and made a vast turn to the right. McGee and the other agents held their breath once again, while Gibbs' smile grew even wider.

*************************************************************************

Dimino towered over Tony, smiling wickedly as blood ran from the side of Tony's head. "Too bad you didn't have that coffe smart-ass, you might've stood a chance. But sadly I guess we will never know."

Tony was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, but straying to keep himself awake, to fight for his life. _To fight for Ziva's life._ Tony raised his head just as Dimino raised the gun. Suddenly, a handful of agents swarmed in, armed and defiantly outnumbering Dimino. Tony heard Gibbs' voice, and knew in that moment that Dimino was defeated.

"Federal Agent! Drop your weapon!" Dimino turned slowly, still not lowering the gun in his hand.

"I said drop your weapon, or I shoot!" Dimino sighed, and slowly lowered his gun. Without a second notice, he raised it up and aimed straight for McGee. Gibbs knew what he was doing, and shot him in his right leg. Dimino whipered in pain and fell the to ground. Two of the agents strode over to him, kicking the gun away. Gibbs noticed Tony a few feet away, and quickly ran over to him as he placed his gun back in his holster.

"Dinozzo!" Tony had fallen to unconsciousness when he suddenly heard his boss' voice booming in his bloodshot ears.

"Boss?" He whispered. "Ziva...you have to...help her." In the same moment Gibbs turned around when he heard McGee yell something, who was kneeling beside Ziva along with two other agents.

"Boss, I found Ziva! She's alive, but her heartbeat's growing faint. She's hurt, boss. _Badly._" Gibbs turned back to Tony, who had slipped out of consciousness again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey everbody! So, FINAL CHAPTER!! I know, I know, it's kind of abrupt, but I feel that this is the end....Plus I'm about to start school again, so I wanted to finish this before I do....I don't wanna become too busy and forget about it. :)**

**A lot of you have been reviewing, and I thank you for that, but not everyone. Since this is the very last chapter, could you all please try and review? Even if you say you hate the ending haha, i still want to hear your thoughts. If I am convinced that you all liked it, then I'll make another NCIS fic in time...but you gotta let me know! :D**

**So thank you to everyone who have been reviewing and had favoritedt this story or just anything to give me a confidence boost. This is my first fic, and i'm happy that some of you have really enjoyed it. So...drum roll please....HeRE Is ThE LaSt ChApTeR! :D**

**Ch.9**

_*** "I'm tired of pretending."**_

"_**So am I."**_

_**The words echoed in Tony's head over and over again. He may have been unconscious, and undoubtedly in pain...but he couldn't force the words out of his head. The image of that day...of that moment in time. He remembered everything about that brutal day in his life...including that moment in the elevator between him and Ziva. Why hadn't he realized it sooner? The double-meaning...the underlying message...the truth. No, that couldn't be...of course it couldn't be. Tony tried to deny to himself that he felt strong feelings for his partner...but he was over that now. He knew he had feelings for Ziva. But he was already sure she didn't feel the same about him...there was no way...was there? ***_

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Gibbs and McGee stood in Ziva's hospital room...staring at her motionless body. The doctors still hadn't given them much information about her condition, or Tony's for that matter, but they both knew she had it worse. A long silence fell in the room, when finally McGee spoke up.

"So...do you think she's gonna be okay? I mean, you know....I know she's going to survive. Ziva's strong, I know that...I just meant...," His attempt to break the silence failed, for the room became quiet again. Gibbs only nodded, not looking up from Ziva. After just standing there in silence for what seemed to be an eternity for both of them, Gibbs spoke up.

"Abby's on her way, so she should be here any minute. I'm going back to the office to finish this." On that note McGee nodded his head, and Gibbs left the room.

***************************************************************************

Coming from Ziva's room only moments before, McGee entered Tony's room. Moving to stand by his bedside, he sighed and walked over. Tony had woken up in the last hour he'd been in the hospital...even though he had a concussion and several other small injuries, all he cared about was Ziva. He asked for her, moaned her name, and even yelled for her once....it was obvious he cared for her. At least, more than he let on.

McGee sat down in the chair beside Tony and stared at him in sympathy.

"I told you Tony, always listen to the boss. Yet you don't listen...and I'm the brains, so I definitely know what I'm talking about more than you. Okay, so that didn't make as much sense as it did in my head...what I mean is, just...you never listen. Which is probably why you're the senior field agent, you listen to your gut...believe it or not, you actually saved Ziva's life tonight, Tony. I don't know if I would have been able to do what you did..." Thanking the fact that Tony hadn't heard his sudden heart-to-heart speech, McGee took a sip of his coffee....at least, he _thought_ it had been his coffee.

"Oh God!," McGee practically spat out his entire mouthful of coffee on Tony, but managed to swallow it down. McGee got up and threw the cheap, plastic coffee cup in the trash can on the other side of the room. "Of course that had to have been Gibbs' coffee...God the man has horrible taste in his beverage's." McGee turned around to have Abby practically tackle him to the tile floor.

"McGee! Ducky wanted to come, but he got stuck with that asshole's body." She breathed out. It disgusted her to even speak of Mikhail, the one who had made Ziva...and even Tony suffer so much. She gripped him a tight hold for a few minutes, when finally he pushed her away so he would able to breathe.

"Sorry...so uh, how are they?" She turned in the doorway to see Tony lying on his bed, a bandage wrapped around head and a few cuts and bruises along his body. "Oh God," She whispered, "Oh God!" She ran over to Tony's bed, gently caressing his cheek. "McGee, what happened?" McGee opened his mouth to speak, but Abby cut him off. "No, scratch that. I don't wanna know...I just-Hold on. What about Ziva? Oh God! She must have it worse than him...but it can't be too bad, right? I mean, it's _Ziva. _The crazy Israeli chick who-" Her sentence trailed off, and she just looked up at McGee with sorrowful eyes.

"Come on, Abby. I'll take you to see Ziva. She's just down the hall." He reached out his hand and waited for her to take it. Just as she reached for it, she heard a muffled moan from behind her. She gasped and quickly spun around to see Tony's eyes slowly open.

"Tony! Thank God!" She hugged him tightly, then loosened her grip remembering how he much pain he must still be in.

"I feel like hell," His voice was barely a whisper, then his eyes widened and his faint voice grew higher, "Ziva. Where is she? How is she? Is she..." McGee and Abby realized that he didn't know if Ziva was alive or dead, so McGee quickly reassured him.

"Tony, calm down. Ziva's alive...she'll be okay. She has a mild concussion and a few broken ribs. She's cut up in a few places, but it looks worse than it is. When we first got here, her breathing was irregular, but the doctors managed to stabilize her. So everything will be fine." McGee immediately saw Tony's face change from worry to relief.

"I...can I see her?" Tony looked up to McGee and Abby with hopeful eyes. McGee sighed.

"Tony, maybe you shouldn't be up and about just yet. You need to rest-"

"McGee, _please._ It's...it's Ziva." With only those few words, both McGee and Abby understood. They knew how Tony and Ziva felt for each other, even if they themselves didn't yet.

"Alright, fine. But let's make it quick. Not too sure I wanna piss off the nurse just yet." McGee playfully smiled at Tony, and with Abby's help, pulled him up from the bed.

****************************************************************************

Tony and Abby sat next to Ziva, who still lay unconscious. McGee had been outside the room talking to Gibbs on his cell phone for a few minutes, when he finally walked back in. Tony and Abby both turned to look at him, expecting an explanation from him as soon as they had discovered it was Gibbs who called.

McGee took a deep breath and sat down in an empty chair next to Abby. "Okay, short version: Gibbs got Dimino to talk, which isn't really a surprise, and found out why Mikhail Xavier was out for Ziva in the first place. Basically, a grudge against her father. Dimino took the job simply for the money." Tony tore his eyes away from Ziva and to McGee again to question him.

"But why did Dimino shoot..._Mikhail?_" He said the last word slowly, his face turning to anger and disgust.

"Well, apparently sometime during all this, Xavier talked to Dimino and told him he was gonna take down the amount of money he had promised to give him....said it was because Dimino _"was supposed to take care of any outside influences that could get in the way of their operation..." _

Both Tony and Abby wore a confused look on their faces, and McGee continued to explain. "Meaning you, Tony. If you hadn't of come, who knows what would have happened to Ziva. You got in the way, and Xavier blamed Dimino for it. So Dimino shot him, then when we charged in, Dimino realized there was no way out, so he tried to shoot me so I would shoot him first, killing him. He actually tried to take the easy way out. Anyway, Gibbs is taking Dimino in as we speak." McGee let out a deep breath, and Tony and Abby only stared at him with open mouths. They were both about to say something, when they heard Ziva let out a soft moan. Tony felt her hand come to life in his, and he held it even tighter.

"Ziva...Oh, thank God." It was Tony thanking the higher powers this time and not Abby, who just sat there with a relieved smile on her face. Ziva's voice seemed low and scratchy, so Tony handed her a glass of water. She gulped almost the whole glass down, and handed it back to Tony.

"Thank you...So, how long was I out?"

"Only a few hours," McGee reassured her. Abby smiled again.

"It's really good to see awake, Ziva." McGee nodded in agreement and Tony only squeezed her hand again. McGee then mentally kicked himself and lightly tugged on Abby's arm.

"Um, Abby? How about you come with me to get some drinks from the vending machine down the hall? On the way back we can get the nurse and tell her Ziva's awake." Abby looked at him questioningly, then she understood.

"Oh, yeah, sure. We'll be right back Ziva." She smiled at Ziva, and then turned to Tony and her smile grew wider. Once they were out of the room, Tony looked Ziva in the eyes, wondering where to begin. He just wanted to tell her how glad he was to have her awake..._alive_ even. How disappointed he was that Ziva hadn't come to him about the situation...how much he loved her. He just couldn't find the words for any of that, so he spoke the first thing that came to mind.

"So...how are you feeling? You look terrible," He teased her. In truth, he always thought she looked beautiful, but he could never say that, at least to her face.

"I am...alright. I will survive, at least. Thanks to you." She let out a small smile, and stared deep in Tony's eyes.

"Well, I did my part. I'm just glad you're okay...I...." He found himself at a loss of words, not sure if he should say what he was he was about to confess.

"You...what?"

"I...I'm just not sure what I would've done if...you know, somethinghadhappenedtoyou." He let the last part of his sentence out fairly quick, so that Ziva wouldn't be able to understand. He broke his eye contact with hers, looking down at his fidgeting hands in his lap.

"What?" Tony looked back up into Ziva's eyes. He decided to just let it all out in that moment. _It's now or never_, he thought.

"Ziva...I, I'm not really sure of the right way to say this, so I'm just gonna lay it all on the table...I care about you, a lot. You're not only my partner, Zi, you're more than that...you're my friend who I can talk to with just about anything, you're my safety-net who I know will always have my back...you're-"

"Tony, I, I am not sure what you are trying to say..."

"What I am trying to say, Ziva, is that I have feelings for you. I, I don' t know how else to say it." Ziva let a small smile escape her lips...she'd been waiting for Tony to say that for a long time now.

"I do too, Tony." Tony had been prepared for anything she might have responded with. A, _'Sorry Tony, but I don't feel that way about you."_ Or her classic _'There are rules, Tony, and we must respect them. That definitely goes against the rules._ And maybe even a, _"Are you insane?! Get away from me!"_ But he sure wasn't prepared for that.

"You what?" Was all he could manage to choke out. She let out a small laugh.

"Do not act like you are audibly handicapped, Tony. You heard me. _I do too._"

He smiled at her and slowly caressed her hair and then her cheek. He lent down and gave her a small, but passionate kiss on the lips. He started to pull away, afraid to hurt her even more, when she pulled him into another kiss. This one was longer, and had more force and need. Both out of breath, and unable to form words, let alone thoughts, they rested their forehead's against each other. Once he steadied his breathing, Tony whispered to her ear.

"Now, I'll say this again, and say it the way I should have said it before....I'm _definitely_ tired of pretending." Ziva let out a small chuckle and steadied her breathing so she could respond with,

"So am I."

**The End. :)**


End file.
